The Two-Way

7:27 am

Thu May 16, 2013

At Least 13 Dead, Including Americans, After Attack In Kabul

The scene Thursday in Kabul, Afghanistan, after a suicide bomber attacked a NATO convoy.

Zhao Yishen Xinhua /Landov

Early casualty reports indicate that a powerful suicide car bombing Thursday in Kabul killed at least seven Afghan civilians, four foreign civilian contractors who were working for international forces and two members of the international military force.

Dozens more people were reportedly injured by the blast in Afghanistan's capital city.

Officially, the NATO-led Afghanistan International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) is only saying at this time that two of its service members and four civilian contractors died.

From Kabul, NPR's Sean Carberry tells our Newscast Desk that "the massive explosion shook the capital Thursday morning, and set nearby cars and buildings ablaze. Hospital officials say dozens of civilians, including many children are being treated for injuries. The militant group Hizb-i-Islami has taken responsibility for the attack. They don't conduct operations nearly as often as their Taliban allies."

The BBC says the bomber "blew up his vehicle next to a convoy of foreign cars in the east of the city."